System of conveying and distri butting gas



(No Model.)

SYSTEM 0F CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTING GAS.

110. 812,811. b Patented 188.24, 1885.

Unirse dTaTns laTnnT @arreso ALEXANDER VATSON CADMAN, OF EDGEVOOD, PENNSYLVANIA.

SYSTEM OF CONVEYING AND DISTRIBUTBNG GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part or' Letters llatent No. 312,811, dated February 2-, 1885.

Application filed September l, 1884.

(No model.)

To all whom, i may concern:

Be it known that l, ALEXANDER W. CAD- MAN, a resident of Edgewood, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in System of Conducting` and Distributing Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

In conveying natural gas through pipes to the place where it is to be used great difficulty has always been experienced in preventing its leakage, and while many attempts have been made to avoid this, none of them have, so far as I am aware, been entirely successful. rIhe liability to leakage is peculiarly incident to natural gas, because of the high pressure and low temperature at which it escapes from the well, and to its subtle nature, which causes it to penetrate the joints and pores of the material composing the pipes or conduits. When t-he conduits are under ground and Without the walls of houses, a slight leakage is not of much consequence; but when they lead through houses it becomes important to prevent it, for the gas is almost odorless and colorless, and when mixed with air is so violently explosive as to be dangerous to life and property. OneV of the most dangerous qualities of the gas is the difficulty of detection, which arisesfrom its lack of odor. In many cases this results in causing a leak to be undiscovered until it has been evidenced by the effects of a disastrous explosion. y The causes which I have noticed have to a great measure prevented the introduction of natural gas into dwellings for purposes of illumination and heating,to which it is well adapted. It is therefore the object of my invention to overcome these difficulties, and to provide means whereby this gas may be so conveyed into houses as to perfectly obviate the evil consequences of leakage and to render unnecessarythe costly appliances which have hitherto been used for the same or analogous purposes.

To this end my invention consists in leading the gas-supply pipes in a building through a rising line open at the upper end, and with or without artiiicial means for creating a draft therein. This flue has its outlet at any convenient place of discharge, preferably outside of the walls of the house, and any gas which may escape from the inclosed supplypipe will be carried away by the draft of the fine or by its own specific gravity, and will be discharged where it can have no harmful effect. In applying my improved system to dwelling-houses or to other buildings which are provided with chimney-fines, it is convenient and preferable to place the gas-pipes within them, introducing the pipes either from the roof or from below through the cellar. Suitable branch service-pipes conduct the gas from the supply-pipe within the fine tothe stove or gas-burner where it is to be utilized.. In this way the leaking gas is carried into the outer air by the natural draft of the chimney, and this will of course be aided by any fires in communicating stoves or grates.

I will now proceed to describe myimprovement in detail, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same to use, and in so doing I will refer to the accompanying drawings, in which- The several figures are sectional views of houses, showing various modes in which my improved system may be applied, Figure 3 be ing a vertical cross-section on the line .r x of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, a represents the gas-suppl y pipe which leads from the underground gasmain Z1 up the outer side of the building to the roof, where it branches and leads thence down as many of the chimney-lines c as desirable. Vhere one chimney-flue connects with several stories of the house branch gas-pipes c may be provided at each story to convey the gas from the pipe in the chimney to the stove or burner, Fig. 3. These branch pipes are inclosed in an outer casing or rlue, c, preferably situate beneath the iioor and open at both ends, one of which communicates with the chimney-flue c and the other with the open air. By these means the draft of the chimney will draw escaping gas out of the iiues c and into the chimney-nue, whence it is discharged in manner before described. The arrangement and situation of the branch tlue c is largely a matter of convenience, and while that shown in the drawings seems to me preferable, it is not of the essence of my invention, and I do not desire to limit the scope of my claims thereto. If desired, the branch fines IOO may open only into the chimney, and not at any other point. In such case the gas will be discharged into the chimney by its own displacement. Where the gas is to be burned in a grate or stove at the base of the flue c no branch pipe c will be necessary, but the gas may be fed to the burner directly from the service-pipe a. The pipe which leads from the gas-main to the roof of the house may conveniently be placed within theusual waterconductor e, which thus forms an exterior iiue corresponding in function with the chimneyflue c. It also serves to protect the gas-pipe from accident or from being Vtampered with.

If'dcsirable, my improved system may be modified by carrying the service-pipe a directly from the gas-main into the cellar, and thence up a rising flue or chimney to its terminus at the desired height, and by supplying the several stories with gas through branch pipes in the manner above described, Figs. l and 4. This system may be found to be somewhat objectionable in that the leakage from the underground gas-main will be apt to follow the outside of the service-pipe into the cellar and vitiate the atmosphere there; but it may be useful in case economy of gas-pipe material be desirable.A The rising flue may have its exit outside o-f the building or-in the stove or grate. In the latter case the leakage 'will be consumed by burning. The operation of this form of my improvement is substantially the same as that above described, and need not be here repeated.

By use of the system herein described perfect safety from the results of leakage is attainable. It is easy of application, and needs 4no expensive apparatus to secure its proper operation. Vhere the pipe passes from the ground to the roof on the outside of the building and thence down a flue into the rooms no leaking gas can escape-into the house, and on account of the perfect means furnished for removing the waste there can be no dangerous results.

' In case it be not convenient to utilize the chimney of a house as acasing for the supplypipe, the flue c Ymay consist of'a vertical or inclined casing open at one or both ends and arranged'within the building to operate substantially as I have already described. This arrangement is illustrated inv Fig. 4 of the drawings.

I am aware that for the purpose of ventilating buildings, rooms, Snc., a gas-jet has been combined with a ventilating-conduit, and that as a matter' of nish or sightliness the gaspipe has had so much of its length as entered the room--a few feet, more or less-arranged within the ventilator conduit, and do not herein claim such a construction; but so far as I-am aware the service-pipes of buildings have not been incased in leak-fines for the entire or greater part of their length, said leakues communicating with the external air, so as to conduct off any leakage from the servicepipe at allpoints within the building; therefore What I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a system for distributing gas to buildings, the combination,with a service-pipe having delivery-branches for supplying the several stories ofa building, of a rising leak and draft flue which incloses the service-pipe and s opens above the building at its upper end, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a system for distributing gas to buildings, a conduit or leak an'd draft fine which opens above the building, and a service-pipe which enters the upper open end of the leak and draft flue and extends down within the same, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a system for distributing gas to buildings, the combination,with the draft and leak iiue c, having branch pipes c', which open at one end into the draft-flue c and at the opposite end into the open air, of the service-pipe a, having branch pipes a. substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22d day of August, A. D. 1884.

ALEXANDER WATSON CADMAN.

Witnesses:

THOMAS W. BAKEWELL, W. B. CoRwrN. 

